Electronic devices, such as computing devices, have various input mechanisms such as keyboards, touchscreens, track pads, and so on, which users utilize to access and control the computing device.
In a typical touch-based input device, such as a track pad or touch screen, a user can move his finger across an input surface of the touch-based input device. In response, the touch-based input device detects the finger's movement. In some touch-based input devices (for example, track pads and certain mice), the device may also detect, in binary fashion, when the user presses downwardly on the input surface, such as to select or engage a button or control displayed on the computing device. Generally, however, such devices do not register or process a range of inputs that can be correlated to a range of forces exerted on the input surface.
Further with respect to typical touch-based input devices, if a user depresses the input surface with two fingers in differing locations, the input surface cannot determine forces applied by the two fingers and cannot assign forces (or estimates of forces) separately to each region touched by the user. That is, touch-based input devices, even those that have some force-sensing capability, generally cannot partition forces between multiple simultaneous inputs.
As recognized by the present inventors, what is needed are methods and systems for detecting multi-touch inputs from users on electronic devices and apportioning the forces detected among multiple finger inputs.